Have you ever needed to mail something or pick up a package while living in Japan? Like in most of the rest of the world, Japan has an efficient postal system with around 24,000 post offices scattered all over the country to meet mailing needs. Post offices also offer a number of financial services, some of which are exceedingly convenient for foreign residents in Japan, as well as insurance.

We also have many articles that will help you with daily life in Japan including opening a bank account, buying a SIM card, disposal of oversized garbage, paying bills, and more.

Finding a Post Office (or postal box) in Japan

Finding a post office is easy. Just look for the above symbol to identify a post office. They are always displayed in visible locations on the exterior of any post office in Japan. They also mark postal boxes where letters with appropriate stamps can be dropped off.

If you ever need to find a post office and don’t see the above symbol anywhere, you can always ask a friendly passerby or a police officer. Just say: “Yûbinkyoku wa doko desu ka?” (Yûbinkyoku means a Post Office). They will certainly be able to point you in the right direction. You can also search for post offices and ATMs on their official website.

Services offered by the Post Office in Japan

The postal system offers numerous services that are useful to both Japanese and non-Japanese alike. They accept credit cards, e-money and mobile payments except for revenue stamps, lottery tickets, cash on delivery postal items, customs duty on taxable postal items. Below, we will introduce some of the services offered at the post offices in Japan.

Postal Services

Domestic Mailing

Like anywhere in the world, standard domestic mailing is the core function of the post offices in Japan. Letters, packages, and parcels can be sent via several classes of mail, most notably standard or express to any address in Japan.

Letter Pack is a convenient way to send items within 4kg up to A4 size at a flat rate of 430 yen for Letter Pack Light and 600 yen for Letter Pack Plus. You can purchase Letter Packs at post offices and some convenience stores in Japan. There are also various "Yu-Pack" services that you can use to send your luggage to or from the airport, ship refrigerated products, ski equipment to the hotel, and more. With such a variety of options, you can choose Yu-Pack service best suited to your needs.

Japan Post also offers mail forwarding service for 1 year. If you use this service, the mail sent to your old address will be delivered to your new address in Japan. For more details, please check "Mail Forwarding in Japan: Domestic and International Options".

If you would like to send a parcel and interested in exploring various Japanese courier services, please check this article.

International Mailing

Letters can be sent internationally. You can calculate rates on the official website. Please note that from March 1, 2024, it is no longer possible to use handwritten labels to send dutiable articles abroad. In case of such articles, you would need to create and print necessary shipping labels using "International Mail My Page Service", which is available in both PC and smartphone versions. For more details, please check the Japan Post website.

EMS or Express Mail Service is an insured international parcel mailing service that allows delivery of packages and parcels to many countries throughout the world. It uses computerized tracking to keep you updated on the status of your package through the shipping process. Rates for EMS are fairly reasonable and start around 1,500 yen for the smallest packages going to somewhere in Asia and up to nearly 80,000 yen for 30 kilograms going to South America or Africa.

While Japan post offers convenient ways to send parcels abroad, there are many other international parcel services available. To learn more, please check this article. Japan Post does not offer international mail forwarding services, but they are many other companies you can use. Please check this article for more information.

Commemorative and Special Stamps

Commemorative and special stamps are issued every month. You can see what is currently available here. You can purchase stamps by choosing from a catalogue at a counter of the post office.

Financial Services

Bank Accounts

The Japan Post Bank offers standard savings accounts to residents of Japan. Foreigners can open a bank account as long as they can show a residency card, provided that there is more than 3 months left till its expiration. Foreign residents with technical intern training or student status of residence in Japan would be required to have their employee or student card. For more details, please check here. You can open a bank account by either going to Japan Post Bank or using Yucho Tetsuzuki App. The app is available in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese languages.

While you can do international money transfers with Japan Post Bank, there are also many other services that offer overseas remittance in Japan. For more details, please check "International Money Transfers from Japan" and "International Money Transfers to Japan".

ATM Services

ATM is one of the most useful services offered by Japan Post Bank. These ATMs accept most international debit and credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc. English language menus are offered on the ATMs so they are very accessible. You can also find Japan Post Bank ATMs in some FamilyMart convenience stores.

Various Payments

When you receive a postal transfer form, you can pay at a post office - either via ATM or at a counter. To learn about the best ways to pay bills in Japan, please check this article. 

Insurance

You can also find insurance services in Japanese post offices. You can sign up for insurance at the post office or have an employee come to your home for the procedure. To learn what type of insurances are available and other information, please check the Japan Post website (in Japanese).

What to do if you missed your parcel / registered mail?

If you miss a parcel or registered letter delivered by the Post Office, you fill find a Delivery Notice (see the image below). You can find the tracking number on the note.

If you have difficulty speaking Japanese, please call the number below to request a redelivery. You can choose the date and hours that you would like them to redeliver.

TEL: 0570-046-111 (English)
Monday - Friday:   8:00 - 21:00
Saturday - Sunday: 9:00 - 21:00

If you can read Japanese, you can also request a redelivery via Internet. In the following article, you can learn about redeliveries for Japan Post and other companies: "Redeliveries in Japan: Japan Post, Kuroneko, Sagawa & Amazon".

Japanese Address Format

The Japanese Address System is not organized based on street name and number and houses, and buildings are not in any sort of numerically increasing order. In fact, it can seem quite random and makes finding a particular location quite challenging if you’re not familiar with the area or don’t have a map. Please refer to "Japanese Addresses: How to Read, Write, Say & Understand Them" for further information.

Going to the Post Office in Japan

While it seems like going to a post office in Japan might be intimidating, the good news is that they are relatively accessible to the non-Japanese speaker. Almost all of the forms and instructions at the post office have English as well as Japanese versions and there should be English labels indicating the services provided at each counter.

Also, note that service at the post office is based on a ticket/number system where you take a ticket and then go to the counter when your number is displayed. Be sure you take the ticket for the correct counter where you need service (stamps, parcel pick-up, etc.).